among the deadliest of reptiles a safeguard and protector for a forsaken and half-perishing child. Truly the eye and hand of God are over all His creatures, guiding their works and ways as it seemeth best to His godly wisdom, and overruling ever their unconscious instincts to the fulfilment of His gracious will.

HINTS ON READING.

G.

WHAT TO READ-WHAT TO READ CAUTIOUSLY—WHAT TO LEAVE UNREAD.

We have lately received the first volume of a periodical bearing the title of 'PLEASANT PAGES,' and written professedly for the instruction of the young. Its contents, as classified in the Index, are as follows: Moral Lessons; Natural History; History; Object Lessons; Traveller through England; Physical Geography; Drawing Lessons; Hymns and Poetry; and Music.'

This wide range of subject would, of itself, have made us somewhat distrustful of the quality of the information so largely proffered, though, to many, it would doubtless be an additional recommendation, as a smattering of knowledge on many subjects, is but too generally preferred to a thorough acquaintance with one-but all will agree, that however limited the information given on any point may be, it should at least be correct, as far as it goes, which, we regret to state, is by no means the case in the present instance. A still worse fault is, that in approaching sacred subjects, the author employs a familiarity bordering on irreverence; as, for instance, at page 97, where an account is given of a vision which appeared to his father, in which the allegorical representation of Truth, is in a most extraordinary manner confounded and identified with our Saviour.

We have not, perhaps, a right to condemn any one for his political opinions, but we certainly have a right to warn those whose views we believe to be similar to our own, against a book of which the principles, implied rather than expressed, are totally different. It appears, then, to us, that the compiler of 'Pleasant Pages' is a follower of Macaulay, in his historical and political opinions, though by no means so in his style-a so-called reformer (destroyer would be a better word) in both Church and State.'

'It appears to us,' we say, for we must in justice admit, that this

is never openly expressed, but we believe that it is implied, and that it will become more visible as the work proceeds. To some, however, this would be no objection, and we will, therefore, proceed to consider with what success the author has accomplished the task he has undertaken, viz., to instruct the rising generation on the various subjects before-mentioned. Were there no other fault, we should strongly object to his style, which is extremely puerile. It is a great mistake to suppose that children are pleased with an affectation of childishness of style; plain, simple language, with few long, foreign, or obsolete words, is what they understand and like best. In fact, pure English will always be understood by them, if the subject itself be within their comprehension. The Object Lessons appear to us to be simply useless. What possible use can there be in confusing children with the jargon that the parts of a table-cloth are the 'Under Surface, Upper Surface, Edges, Corners, Middle, Hem, Stitches, Pattern, Border, and Fibres!' while the cultivation of Flax, manufacture of Linen, &c., in fact, all that is really useful and pleasurable, is slurred carelessly over in a dozen lines.

Then we have a series of lessons on Geology, or Physical Geography, as it is there called. In the present imperfect state of our knowledge, it were as well, at least in an elementary work, not to decide quite so confidently on the precise age of a piece of coal, or the exact date of the existence of the Mammoth.

The Historical Lessons are more adapted to the understandings of those to whom they are addressed; but, then, what can we think of the capabilities of a person for teaching History, who gravely states that the ancient Britons were taught by the Druids to worship Mars, Mercury, and Apollo! Comment here would be superfluous; but what possible reliance on any subject can be placed on a writer, who, in the very outset, makes a mistake that the merest school-boy would be ashamed of? Nor can we imagine that all the professors of the same opinions as those of the compilers, would have chosen Earl Godwin as an instance of greatness, owing to a strict regard to truth.

"THE FAIRY GODMOTHERS' is a very pretty little book, showing a great deal of talent and originality. Indeed, the children are so real, so like our own small friends and acquaintance in all their ways and sayings, that it gives an additional quaintness to the story to find them subject to the influence of fairies. The little boy with his terrors of the tiger in the nursery coal-pan, though his reason was convinced no tiger could be there, will recall to many of us

our own childish miseries; the sweet little Hermione, with her tangled worsted, and the baby that was always going to sleep whenever she wanted to play or talk, is a very charming heroine; and, above all, our chief delight is in the urchin at the long table, who demanded (we can almost hear him), 'Mamma, can a giant see a caraway seed ?'

The lessons are all admirable, especially that in the little Mimic, and the lecture on the caraway seed, though we think a year of blindness was somewhat hard measure for the poor little tigerhaunted boy.

Yet there is one point in the book which does not please us, namely, the mixture of the imaginary fairy world with the true unseen world; the deep religious teaching, with the playful fairy lore, might almost make the one seem as unreal as the other. We wish either the fairies or the religious lessons omitted, for when we laugh, we find ourselves suddenly called on to be reverent; in the midst of the most serious subject we find a fairy, and we should fear what the tendency of such a confusion of ideas might be in the mind of a child. Now, in the Hope of the Katzekopfs, the whole story is left in the Fairy world, the religious lesson is suggested, not obtruded, and it seems to us that this is the wiser and safer way of teaching in play-hours, both for large readers and small.

One book of deeper and more useful reading we will mention, though it is not very new, Mr Vaux's 'Nineveh and Persepolis.' Perhaps you may fancy it dry at first, but if you have the necessary knowledge of history to begin with, you will be well rewarded, so well does it gather and combine ancient history, Scripture allusions, and modern discoveries respecting those wonderful regions. The test of a book of this character is its reverence for Scripture, and well does it stand this test. It is, therefore, a perfectly safe book, and, moreover, though if you read for entertainment, you will be likely to grow tired; yet, if you read for instruction, you will meet plenty of entertainment by the way. Witness the story of the lady who carried the cow up stairs, the discovery of the great bull (even less portable), the history of the key to the cuneiform characters, and Xerxes' taste for writing his name in remarkable places, proving that a vulgar mind is the same in all ages.

John and Charles Mozley, Printers, Derby.

FORESHADOWINGS OF REDEMPTION.

Miss Ormesden. I see your Bibles full of slips of paper, as if you had been preparing.

Audrey. Ihave been searching, and have found a great deal; but I am confused about it.

Miss O. I don't engage not to confuse you more, but we will try to trace the thread of the promise and foreshadowing of redemption that runs through the Old Tes

tament.

Helena. The promise in prophecy, the foreshadowing in types.

Miss O. Just so. The whole ceremonial law was one great type, as we are taught, you know where, in the New Testament.

Mary. In the Epistle to the Hebrews.

Miss O. St. Paul there shows the Jews how the cove

nant, under which they were born, contained the pattern of the great realities in heaven, and was perfected and lost in the brightness of the new one.

Audrey. I have only a general idea about the ceremonies of the law, Leviticus is a part of the Bible one never reads.

Miss O. It is not desirable that girls should read the whole of it, but you will find this little book, Questions on the Tabernacle and its services,' a great help. Mary has been learning it lately.

Helena. I have brought a paper I have been writing out for papa, about the arrangements of the Tabernacle. I thought that would be a help in tracing the types.

Miss O. Thank you; I think hearing it may make what we have to say a little clearer.

Helena. Though of course it is what you all know before. Well, here it is (reads). 'The Tabernacle was a moveable chapel, or tent, made under the direction of Moses, according to the pattern that God showed him when he was within the cloud on Mount Sinai. It was the centre of all the ceremonies of the law, and a faint likeness of things in heaven. The Tabernacle stood in the midst of an enclosure, or court, shut in by hangings of linen upon stakes of shittim wood, supposed to be the acacia. In this court stood the brazen laver, and the altar of brass for burnt-offerings, and the Tabernacle itself was placed to the west. It was a tent shaped in an oblong form, and consisting of three coverings, supported on a frame of planks. These coverings were on the outside goats' hair, then skins of rams and badgers, and the innermost, of fine linen embroidered with red, blue, and purple. In the midst was a curtain, or veil, dividing it into two parts. The outermost was called the Holy Place, and might be entered only by the priests, not by the people. It contained the golden altar of incense, the table of show bread, and the seven-branched candlestick. Beyond, within the veil,